| Ianthe | Elpida | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Violet flower | hope |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | eye-AN-thee | el-PEE-dhah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1970 (9) | 1976 (7) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ianthe | Elpida |
|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7 | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5 | 5 |
| 1970s | 15 | 7 |
| 1950s | 5 | 0 |
| 1940s | 5 | 0 |
| 1920s | 5 | 0 |
| 1910s | 5 | 0 |
From Greek 'ion' (violet) + 'anthos' (flower), giving 'violet flower'. Borne by a figure in Greek mythology (an Oceanid) and used by Lord Byron. A minority of sources offer alternative roots, but 'violet flower' is the standard etymology.
The Modern Greek form of the ancient name Elpis, from Greek 'elpis' ('hope'). The Slavic Nadezhda was coined as a translation of this Greek word.
Ianthe and Elpida are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Ianthe means Violet flower (greek origin), while Elpida means hope (greek origin).
In US records, Ianthe first appears in 0 and Elpida in 0, so Ianthe has the longer recorded history.